In the latter half of the Nineteenth Century, the Domestic Science Movement arose to apply scientific principles to various aspects of running and maintaining a household. This scientific approach was referred to as Home Economics, and is now known as Family and Consumer Science. The Movement was furthered by the Morrill Act in 1862, and gave rise to the establishment of cooking schools throughout the United States.
One significant development of the Domestic Science Movement was the introduction of standardized measurements in household activities, particularly in cooking. For most of history, most cookbooks did not specify quantities precisely, instead talking of “a nice leg of spring lamb”, a “cupful” of lentils, a piece of butter “the size of a walnut”, and “sufficient” salt. Informal measurements such as a “pinch”, a “drop”, or a “hint” (soupçon) were common (and in some instances still used today).
In the late 1800's, standard measures by weight were impractical due to the unreliability and expense of scales at the time. Consequently, measurement by volume was used. In the US, Fannie Farmer introduced the more exact specification of quantities by volume in her 1896 Boston Cooking-School Cook Book. Developed at the same time was the graduated measuring cup with indicia representing a scale marked in cups and fractions of a cup. The graduated cup allows the cook to use a single container to measure various quantities, eliminating the need for multiple cups.
Measuring cups may be made of plastic, glass, ceramics, or metal. Transparent (or translucent) cups can be read from an external scale; metal ones only from a scale marked on the inside. Measuring cups often feature a handle to facilitate filling, transfer, and emptying of the cup. Known handles typically take the form of a bar extending downwardly from the top of the cup, or a loop attached to the top and bottom of the cup.
Known measuring cups provide many benefits, but at the same time present several drawbacks. For example, known measuring cups do not provide a means by which they can be conveniently and cleanly stored in anticipation of use. Further, known measuring cups fail to provide any means by which they can be hung for draining between uses or after washing.
Accordingly, there is an established need for a container, and for a measuring cup in particular, that can be conveniently and cleanly stored in anticipation of use, and that can be hung for draining between uses or after washing.